Part II of Women Who Have Failed and Won
I would imagine today books are flying off the shelf to get a copy of To Kill a Mocking Bird or Go Set A Watchman at bookstores or ebooks at http://www.amazon.com/Go-Set-Watchman-A-Novel/dp/0062409859. Harper Lee, author of the "Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird," passed away at a 89 years old. She was born the same year my mother was born. Knowing the struggles men and women went through with racial discrimination from own mother, I think it was very brave of Harper Lee to publish a book on a controversial subject matter about the injustices that were so prevalent in her time and I find it interesting that even though the story was about a man falsely accused of a crime because of the color of his skin, one of the main characters in the story with true grit was Scout, a young, precocious girl with eyes and ears unlike her parent's generation.
Since writing TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Harper Lee was recognized and awarded many times by Presidents, such as Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and President George W. Bush. The movie about her story has been shown to different generations all over the world and studied in Universities for racial discrimination, criminology, American culture, and sociology. Harper Lee was a brilliant Pulitzer-Prize Winning Writer who could move you to tears and bring characters to life that were believable.
Writing is something you'll never learn
in any university or at any school.
It's something that is within you, and if it isn't there,
nothing can put it there --- Lee Harper
Writers think differently. They do a lot of research and they can tell stories about issues many people are afraid to tell. Writers are risk-takers who take on controversial subjects that people like to read. They've lived a life that most wouldn't want to live but they know how to overcome obstacles and they are passionate about what they do. Storytelling becomes a way of life and for many there are failures before there are successes.
Before her second novel, Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee's rare collection of the author's letters dating prior to the release of To Kill a Mockingbird, were to be auctioned with the expectation of making a small fortune. Whether or not that happened, I don't really know. Then there was issues and concerns about the author's mental stability and an investigation was launched to determine whether or not the author was under the influence of elder abuse which prompted her to write Go Set a Watchman. These were unfounded accusations and the book Go Set a Watchman was released.
Why do people have to be so judgmental is what I'd like to know. I do believe elderly abuse is as prevalent today as racial discrimination was back before and after the 1960's. And I do believe more money is scammed from elders today than ever imagined. There are many stories about what it's like to live in an assisted living facility or a place where elders need more that just assistance to live independent life. Age shouldn't be a factor to determine whether or not someone is mentally competent. People should listen to their elders and take them seriously, regardless of how old they are. This is something I'm passionate about and I shall be studying more about women's issues as the years progress. My goal is to assist elderly women who need to sell their homes so that they are not taken advantage of by other people and to tell their stories, with permission granted.
©Patricia Feager 2/19/2016
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